Aunt Kathleen's 80th birthday party was just wonderful. There were SO many people there. And we are all related. I saw cousins that I had not seen since they were just little and cousin's children that I had just heard about.

I saw my godson, Jim Ayers, who lives in Texas, and his wife and three children. I told him a story. Daddy and I were his baptism sponsers. After the ceremony, Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Leo had a party to celebrate the event at their home. This was quite a party. The Ayers had 6 children, including Jimmy. There were nine of us.

Randy, my youngest brother, was about three years old and a spoiled little person was he. He is 16 years younger than I am. Of course, everybody was raving over this beautiful baby Jimmy, the star of the party. Apparantly, Randy finally had enough of that. He was used to being the center of attention. He walked over to the bassinet, looked Jim over carefully and stalked off with the following statement. "He doesn't have any teeth."

Hope your day was as good as mine.

Love

Mary

Marlon Brando died this morning. Such a talent. Dick put it in perspective. I was commenting on the fact that he had let himself go in the past 10 to 20 years and Dick pointed out that the man was 80 years old. At 80, any person has had a long life. He "did it his way." He also left something of himself behind on film and with his children, all and all not a bad legacy.

Tomorrow, poor Chelsea will get a bath. She is quite dingy and has a spot of something or other on her ear. I must do it tomorrow because we have been invited over to Bobbie and Bill's for the Fourth of July and we could not possibly take a dirty puppy to visit "the Goddess". We refer to Bobbie as the Goddess because Chelsea adores her.

I will end with a quote from Cadfael. I do find the daily readings form the Book of Days to be always interesting and often pertinant. This was from June 18.

"If there must be fighting, if there must be deaths, let it happen as God wills, not as ambitious and evil men contrive. Those lives we cannot save, at least let us not help to destroy."

With all the talk of war, death penalty and abortion it seems very timely.

Love

Mary

Mother and I went to pick up her new eyeglasses today. Boy do they look nice. She has them JUST in time for Saturday, which is the day we will be celebrating my Aunt Kathleen's 80th birthday. I hope everybody notices the change. They are pretty obvious with no frames around the glass and just a touch of color on the side provided by very delicate bows.

Aunt Kathleen was actually 80 in January but she and Uncle Bob were "south" for the winter so her children are having this surprise party on Saturday. Uncle Pat and Aunt Joan will pick Mother up for the dinner. Aunt Kathleen has seven children with spouses and grandchildren. Later there is a reception to which EVERYBODY is invited. It will be good to see all the cousins again. We do get along. They are part of what I consider Comfort People. We may not see each other often but we are part of each other's roots and core and history and time does not separate but just waits for us to be together again.

Mom and I picked up a few plants at a nursery on the way. She is so disappointed in her garden. It does look rather pitiful. We purchased more petunia, marigolds, salvias and some herbs to fill in her herb garden. Hopefully the weather will continue warm and things will begin to grow and produce.

I stopped at church after I dropped her off and lit another two candles at the St. Joseph Statue. I want him to keep interceding for a quick sale of Bart and Barb's house in De Pere. They are close to closing on one in Oklahoma. They were going to rent but are finding that it is JUST as cheap to buy. Prayers for a quick resolution of that too. Please.

Well, I believe I will go down to the den and continue quilting my Flying Geese quilt. I have a goal. I want all the geese quilted before we go to Canada.

Have a nice evening.

Mary

I thought I would talk about bunnies today. There is a reason.

Years ago, Aunt Nonnie trained a little bunnie to actually come and eat out of her fingers. It was quite cute. Aunt Nonnie was a strange little person but she did love babies and animals.

The nest story I have to tell is a sad one.

I was walking with Chelsea this morning and ran into a gentleman in front of his house. He told me that he had let his son's dog out the back door that morning and immediately saw a mother bunny running away trying to distract the dog. Then he saw several babies running the opposite direction just as the dog saw them. A couple of the babies were killed by the dog and he felt so bad. It is hard to be angry with a dog who is just acting according to his nature. And we certainly are not going to miss a bunny or two in this neighborhood. But one does feel so bad that a poor little creature dies so violently.

Zero, my previous dog, did that once. He got a baby bunny coming out of its hole and he was terribly proud. He carried it all the way home and immediately forgot about it.

One day, shortley after we moved to this address, Chelsea and I took a walk around the house and as rounded the corner, I saw a baby bunny huddled up next to the house. Chelsea is NO hunter and is not too observant either. Thank Heavens. I was so startled and when it didn't move, I reached down and stroked its little back. It was trembling and absolutely paralized with fear. All I could see was a grey little body and big black eyes. Then I suddenly realized that if Chelsea DID see it she would hurt it just by exuberance so we continued on our way.

So two stories of life and two of death. All part of the scheme of things I guess.

Mother's neighbor found a rabbit's nest in her garden last year. She decided that she was going to just dispose of those babies before they could grow to become destroyers of her plants. She lifted them out of the nest and set them aside. Then she looked at them and they were so cute that she put them back. I like that. Three stories of life are better than two.

D. H. Lawrence said that "I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself."

Mary

Another sunny beautiful day. It WAS supposed to rain. Perverse as weather is, it did not. We delayed sealing the deck because of the projection. I am just as glad to have had a day off. Wielding a paintbrush is not my idea of a great time. We will hit it again tomorrow and with any luck at all will get it finished.

I remember an incident that happened years ago when Bret was trying out for Little League. They used to get the coaches together and all the kids would show their skills at hitting, fielding, throwing etc and the coaches would try to build a core team.

At one point a swarm of boys, including Bret, were gathered in the left field area just kind of milling around while another group of boys were being pitched to in order to show their batting ability. One of the batters really caught one and it flew up and into the swarm of boys - who scattered. Except for Bret. He stood firm and caught the ball. That is Bret. He sees a need and fills it.

The Huntington Beach Little League had a food trailer in one corner of the field. All parents were required to work it at some point of the season. We all ate there too. With two boys, we ate there as much as three meals a week. The menu was simple but inventive. We would heat chili in a crock pot. We heated hot dogs in a microwave. You could jazz up your hot dog with shredded cheese or the chili or both. We had tortilla chips. You could have them plain. Or you could jazz up them with a scoop of chili and/or with melted shredded cheese. Aren't you impressed? We also had candy bars and popcorn.

"See! How I have loved you. I have carved you on the palm of my hand." One of my favorite passages from the Old Testiment.

Hope your tomorrow is great. Enjoy and remember to treat yourself like the special person that you are.

Mary

I talked today to another reader of my "Blog". It makes me want it to be more interesting. I do try.

Pretty exciting news today. The govenment in Iraq has been turned over to the Interim Iraqui rulers. Early. Probably a very wise move as a public ceremony well publicized, would have been an invitation to the terrorists. The terrorists have no compassion and seem to see no further than their own self centered agendas. I cannot conceive of a society that will decapitate innocent bystanders in their country who seem to be a part of the peacekeepers and a part of the rebuilders of the country.

The Psalms we are studying in the Monday morning bible study speak of persecution and evil and fear. It is quite interesting to read these words from so many many centuries ago and find that they are still pertinent today. Sometimes they make me feel sad and afraid. But they speak of God's love and his protection too. Psalm 35 verse 6 says " Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them."

I shared a cartoon from Newsweek with the group. It was from the Dayton Daily News by a Peters.

The cartoon shows a church, empty except for one woman. In the pulpit is s a Bishop with a priest standing beside him. The Priest says to the Bishop. "Well, First you banned pro-choice politicians, then pro-choice voters, then stem cell advoctes, then gays, then gay marriage judges, then..." This is excactly how I feel about the bishops demanding that the eucharist be denyed to certain people, such as gay advocates or politicians that have voted for certain bills. The bishops are then telling us that we should not vote or run for office and that we, not God are to be the judges.

Tomorrow, I will tell a story or give you a recipe.

Love

Mary

P. S. I need to find out where the sites are that I need to put pictures on my site. With my new computer. I have lost them. I do have my puppy back.

In three weeks we will leave for our vacation to the northern shores of Lake Superior. We will be spending most of the time in Canada, of course. It will be fun to take advantage of having our passports again. I have only used mine for Ireland and Canada. Dick only for Canada. It does make one feel rather cosmopolitan to have one and to actually USE it. We are going to be staying in such places as Thunder Bay and WaWA and Sault Ste. Marie. How fun.

We are about 1/3 done sealing the deck. We couldn't do anything today because there was rain predicted. We are happy to report that is is indeed raining tonight. Otherwise, we sould have wasted a whole day. I just want to get it done with. I only have two more bushes to trim, however, and the yard is looking pretty good. With all the rain, things are growing like crazy.

My brother George and his wife Betsy will be visiting from Houston. We think they will arrive on Friday as there is an event on Saturday that I will tell you about at a later date. George and Betsy were childhood sweethearts in the same grade in school. They dated through most of their high school years and married when they were just a couple of years out of school I know that when they were dating, I used to have an awful time getting through on the phone because they would talk for hours on end and there was no Call Waiting then. "George and Betsy sitting in a tree. K - I - S - S- I - N- G." One true love story. It is always good to see them. I am grateful for easier transportation and ability to travel as our children are now all on their own and we have more free time. This will also be a high school anniversary year for them. So they will be busy while they are here.

Have a nice Monday.

Love

Mary

Today was beautiful. The sun shone and the temperatures were just right. In the 70s and it was dry. We went to see Annie at the Fireside. It was a wonderful performance and as usual the lunch was spectacular. We had Caeser Salad, Beef, potatoes and cheese, spaghetti squash, asparagus and pineapple upside down cake.

Pineapple upside down cake is really good. They had a bit of rum in the topping of this one which did seem to add something.

When the boys were young, they played in Little League. Bret was much more dedicated than Bart but they both played. I have pictures and pins that I treasure of both of them at ages from about 6 until they hit 12 or so. One picture of Bret is really unique. The photographer must have had the camera at an odd angle and all of the boys on his team looked like they were about 8 feet tall. During the season, we spent 2 to 4 afternoons and most of Saturday on the ball field. They each practiced at least once and had at least one game each every week. We had fun though doing this together. I was very conflicted when it ended - both sad it was over and glad that it was time to move on to another passage of our lives. They sure were good boys.

Have a good Sunday.

Mary

What a day. Dick and I are sealing the wood on the deck. Icky job but someone has to do it and the wood REALLY needs it. I also ironed and cleanced the kitchen floor. So when I went to Plymouth for lunch with the Wells Fargo people, I was so glad to get away and rest a bit. Tomorrow we are going to the Fireside in Fort Atchinson to see Annie.

We got word today that a tour we were going to take to Louisville KY in August was cancelled because there was not enough interest. We are getting very disappointed because this is the second trip this year that met the same fate. We have decided to go on the first one - Up through Duluth MN into Canada - East to Sault Ste Marie and back south through Marquette MI - then home. Since the tour company planned the route, we are going on our own. I sent for information from Canada so we can make reservations for motels and all.

Maybe I can talk Dick into going on a tour to Washington DC instead. Have never been there you know.

"May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love nesr you,
and all your heart might desire."

An old Irish Prayer for you

Mary

Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital returns to TV tonight. Jim and I are really excited, we can't figure out why they put it off for a whole month to begin with. Dick doesn't watch them so I will go downstairs and watch it on the BIG TV.

I called Barbara today. They are staying with a friend, Bret, who owns a home with all kinds of acreage and animals. While she was talking to me, she saw a huge yellow butterfly. She said that there is a falcon that nests on the property and comes down to visit every day. Sounds like a really wonderful place to be in the mornings. They are looking at a house in a town called Geronimo, about 8 miles from Lawton. Pray that the house in De Pere sells and that they get the one there. It is just too difficult to be staying in someone elses house even if he is not concerned about it.

I remember being very young and going to chuch most weekday mornings. After Mass, I would go over to Grandma and Grandpa Deeley's house and have breakfast with Grandma. She went to Mass Every morning. She introduced me to all kinds of cheeses. Between her and my Mother I really grew to like most cheeses. Aunt Helen wouldn't let her give me limburger. I remember that my ex husband's Aunts Ruth and Lib said that actually if you could get the first bite down, it tasted really good.

Have a nice evening

Mary

We had a tornado warning last night. I got back from a very useful class on machine quilting at about 9:00 and soon after the sirens went off. Dick and I picked up the cats and went down into the basement den until the warning expired at 10:00PM. Sheboygan County did not get any damage that we know of. However, there was a death in Markazan. There was damage in Madison and enough damge in Waupun that people are being asked to stay away until they have their relief efforts in order. Wow. We are supposed to be rainy off and on and cooler today.

Guess What. Jim reinstalled my computer Puppy when we got the new Dells recently. I believe I told you that we think that the computer cat, Felix, either killed or ran off the Puppy that I had on the old one because he disappeared. Well - - - this Puppy is gone too. Pretty weird. I will keep you informed.

Mary

I decided to post this morning and THEN this evening again because the tornado threw me off last night.

Today was the first day of summer. The longest day of the year. This morning, Chelsea and I left for our morning walk at about 6:15AM. It was BEAUTIFUL. I swear that a different species of bird was perched on every housetop. They were singing their hearts out and flying all over the place. I saw yellow finches, red winged blackbirds, robins, crows, mourning doves, blackbirds, sparrows. It was a magnificent choir that I will treasure for a long time to come.

It rained a bit today but more of a mist off and on. I shot trap at Falls Conservation Club. I did better than last week but still not very good. I will get better.

Enjoy your week.

Mary

I realize that blogs can become meeting places and somewhat chat areas but mine is not such a place. It is just a place for me to put down whatever is on my mind and hopefully keep my imagination and my writing skills honed. The spell checker seems to be malfunctioning. I noticed that the other day and even DELIBERATLY misspelled a word for it to check. It didn't catch it so if you find errors, please be kind but I would like to know.

Mother and I were talking and remembering, as we are wont to do, this morning when I stopped to visit after Mass. Somehow, we got on to the naming of Randy. I said that I really remembered that. It came up because we were talking about the Shea's. Bridget Shea, our cousin, daughter of Johnny Bill and Eileen O'Connor Shea, was due about the same time as Randy. Mother and Dad had also chosen Bridget as a name if he had been a girl.

Perhaps it was a family decision, as Randy's name was supposed to be. I remember all of us sitting in the living room, going through baby name books and finally deciding that we liked Randy, though the majority really felt that it should be more formal, like Randall, because we thought that Ran Dee Dee Lee would be a little much. So much for a democracy. Dad said that we were naming him Randy and Randy it would be. He won.

A similar discussion had been held when Matthew was born a couple of years earlier. We all agreed on Matthew. We wanted him middle initial to be J because Dad's father, Grandpa Deeley, was known as MJ by lots of people. Dad went through the name book that gave names and their definition or source. He found Jed which means hand as in farm hand and he decided on that because Dad liked to garden. We couldn't talk him out of that one either and Matthew Jed he became.

Grandma Deeley did not like the name Matthew. She knew someone that she just detested with that name and we found it very amusing because she would always say, " now what is his name again. Mark or Mike. He is such a sweet boy."

Enjoy your evening.

Mary

My baby brother, Randy's daughter, Erin graduated from high school this year. She is also my goddaughter and asked me to be her confirmation sponsor too. So she is special to me. She will be going to UW Green Bay next year and got three scholorships. They are rightly very proud of her.

Found out that she is quite an artist. They had several of her paintings displayed around the garage. A self portrait, a three set (Hard to discribe) and a very thought provoking picture of a crouching blindfolded man with his shadow being a standing man. It also involved a comment on mankind in general.

I signed on the the prayer chain at church. It seems that I am always calling with a request and decided that I started to return the prayers. Sickness and
Death seem to be all around us these days. Age does that I expect. I am
less worried about it the older I get. I think that the experience of
being physically with Tim when he died erased a lot of my fear. I
feel that death is but a pause and that eventually we all end up,
Hopefully, in the same place. A place where we can catch up and enjoy
each other under God's smile. FINALLY LIVING in peace with no more
cruelty or fear. I also see my Mother living so beautifully. A
couple of weeks ago, she said to us that one of these days, Dad was
going to come and say that it is enough - and take her hand and lead
her to heaven. I know she misses him but she is enjoying her life to the
fullest as it comes to her. What an example she is.

Love

Mary

Been thinking of the reunion a lot today. We are an unusual group. There are some classes that seeme to just be good together and we were one of them. Both as eighth grade graduates from St. Mary's and then as part of the larger group that incorporated both St. Mary and the public school kids in to a solid unit. Some groups of people just belong together. We even send invitations to students that moved out of our group at some time during those six years. Even some that didn't graduate. And they come and we hug and catch up and enjoy each other.

I have a friend who is not part of this unit that finds that an amazing thing. It is actually. I know of one other group that is that cohesive. My Dad's graduating class met for over 70 years and just stopped a couple of years ago. Of course these people are now over 90 and most of them are gone. My Dad and his friend Frank Holden, (who is also my brother, George's wife Betsy's Father) ( Does that make any sense. Read it again.) planned the last ten years or so. They would meet every year then. Frank would send the invitations and Dad would write a poem.

Mother says that in the beginning they met every 10 years and stayed out til dawn. In later years they met on a Sunday at about noon so everybody could get home before dark.

Life is nothing but change. It is sure good to find that old friends - real friends- don't.

Love

Mary

Yesterday, I was not home from my eighth grade reunion until too late to do a blog. So here I am a day late.

50 years ago, I was a member of the very first class that graduated from St. Mary's Grade School in Sheboygan Falls. We started there in 6th grade. At that time there was no middle school. So the school has been in existance for 53 years. I remember the building of it and how proud St. Mary Parish was and still is proud of the school and its mission. It is the only alternative to public education in Sheboygan Falls, which makes it an even more important mission. I hope we will be able to keep it open. The enrollment needs to be increased to do that. We have a principal who seems to be really working on that. When I went, all of the teachers were nuns. Now, not one works at the school. The decline in the number of nuns is as dramatic as the reduction in the number of priests.

Anyway, there were about 8 of us there plus several of the class behind us. At that time we had combined classes. Can you imagine. There were about 50 of us in the class with ONE teacher. And we learned.

We met about 1:00PM and people wandered in for the next couple of hours. We ate at about 5:30 or 6:00. Visited and then sat around a campfire until the mosquitoes got too bad. Ken came up with a campfire game. We had to think of one truth and two lies about our lives and then everyone guessed the truth. Do you have any idea HOW hard it is to think of a lie about yourself. I fooled everybody. I told these lies. 1. I had a poem published in a national anthology. 2. I shoot trap and am pretty good. My hightest score was 24. My truth was that I sideswiped a car when I was taking my drivers test.

That really is the truth. I took the test three times. The third time the two examiners were both trying to get out of testing me. I had taken a class or two by then. I just went and paid for two classes. I did a parallel park that was textbook. AND I never did one again.

The Kids, Bart and Barb, are safe in Lawton.

Yea

Mary

When Dick and I went to Cashton earlier in the year, I went out shopping at some of the Amish Farms that are in the area. At one of them they were selling large gourds in very interesting shapes. The ladies had let them dry, hollowed them out and painted the white. Then they put a wire for hanging. I sprayed it with sealant to keep the paint from running and hung it in the big tree in back of the house. We will be able to see it easily when we sit out there this summer. I believe that it has been "occupied" by a lovely bird family. It will be fun to see it as the summer goes on.

I HOPE we will be able to sit out this year. With all the rain we are likely to have a bumper crop of mosquitos.

I spent the day watering my indoor plants,grocery shopping and reading. Tonight I will do some sewing on a quilt. Dick and I are planning a trip to the Sault Ste Marie in July and are kind of planning that. We intend to visit his niece Theresa in Medford on the way. We haven't seen her for a couple of years and do look forward to the visit. She is a darling girl and her family is so nice.

Tomorrow

Mary

Bart and Barb postponed their leaving until tomorrow because of the awful weather through the midlands from here almost all the way to Lawton. So. We need to worry and pray tomorrow instead of today.

Today was very busy anyway. The Bible Study Group met. We were short three of our regulars but gained a new one. Bev Stangel told her friend Josie about us and she came for the first time today. We had a lively discussion about lack of vocations and whether it would be proper to go to another denominations service if you couldn't get to a Catholic Service. HMM!!! Such a dillemna.

Then this afternoon was the monthly Writer's Club Meeting. We didn't have too many readers, so Jane introduced a little game. We all wrote three words on a little piece of paper. Then the papers were placed in a plastic bag and each person picked one, not their own, and wrote either a poem or short paragraph using the three words.

I got HOOKER _ MAJOR _ WORLD and came up with;

The world is bright
In the city at night.
The hooker is right
Neon light
Enhances sight.

After we were done Sylvia Green, who gave me the words, laughed and said that she actually meant hooker in the rug hooker sense of the word. This makes sense when one knows that Irene Luedtke, one of our fellow writers, is completing her second book. The book is about rug hooking, one of her obsessions.

Have a great Tuesday.

Mary

The scattered thunderstorms and patches of rain predicted for today turned into heavy fog this morning and one shower. It is rather hot and muggy out there. I have been following weather REALLY close the past couple of days because Bart and Barbara are leaving for their drive to Lawton Oklahoma today. I know I mentioned that earlier but some people may not have logged in. Besides I am really rather worried. That is a long drive and they are my kids and I do worry about everything. Dick says I am very good at that.

Well, we should be done with Reagan's funeral rights. It was a long week, a nice tribute to a man of history but a little too much at one time. Saturation makes a person become numb. There was one interview I found quite amusing and I think a nice picture of the man's humor.

Tim Mc Carthy was a secret service man assigned to President Reagan when Hinkley shot him. Tim Mc Carthy was also shot, in the chest and spent some time in the same hospital as Mr. Reagan. When he was checking out, he, his wife and their two children were invited up to Reagan's room to say goodbye and receive his thanks. When the visit was over, Reagan called Tim over to his bedside and said something like. "Tim, This guy shot a Mc Carthy, a Brady, a Delahanty and a Reagan. Do you think he has something against the Irish?"

I will finish with my daily reading from Cadfael's Book of Days. A kind of comforting thought for the start of a week.

"Leave agonizing too much over your sins, black as they are, there isn't a confessor in the land who hasn't heard worse and never turned a hair. It's a kind of arrogance to be so certain you're past redemption."

Mary

Didn't get around to signing on yesterday. It was quite a day.

Dick and I went up to De peer to say goodbye to Bart and Barb and started off with quite an adventure.

It was raining at 10:00AM when we left. I was driving. A couple of miles north of Sheboygan, I decided to pass a truck. As I moved into the left hand lane, I cranked the windshield wipers up to high. I was about half way around when the wiper on the passenger side must have gotten off sync and jammed into the end of the wiper on the driver's side. As you can imagine, they both then stopped except for vibrating right in front of me.

I managed to back off and move over to the side of the road without incident. Then poor Dick got out and was standing on the driver's side trying to separate them. He finally did but they were then bent and off sync and eventually did not move at all. We called Hyundai's emergency service and believe it or not it worked perfectly. They had a tow truck there in less than 15 minutes and we were towed to Van Horn where we had purchased the vehicle and they had us back on the road by 11:30.
We were pretty shook, at least I was. So Dick drove up to De Pere after we left.

Bart and Barb are loading their rented truck today and leaving tomorrow afternoon. They hope to be in Lawton on Tuesday evening. I hope if they get too tired, they take an extra day and rest more. I helped a little. Not too much I could do. They gave us the remaining food from the freezer as they cannot transport that. Please pray for a safe journey. Three days, don't forget.

Last night a good thing happened. A couple of years ago, I started putting loose recipes into Master Cook, a recipe program that Jim found for me. Somehow or other, it crashed and I lost several recipes. I still had the copies of most of the important ones, EXCEPT, for Grandma Pekarski's Crumb cake that I had gotten from Aunt Helen's home after she died. I couldn't find the card anywhere. That was at least three years ago. Last night I opened the Master Cook Manuel and it fell out. So I was a happy camper. That along with Aunty Brandl's Wonder Salve have a little history behind them. I must remember which of the genealogists that are doing history of Ziegler or Deeley who might like a copy.

What? Having a bad day??
> Iraqi terrorist, Khay Rahnajet, didn't pay enough
> postage on a letter bomb. It came back with "return to
> sender" stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb he
> opened it and was blown to bits.
> There, now are you feeling better?

(Got this in an e-mail from a friend.)

Have a great day.

Mary